Why billions of people could miss out on watching the World Cup

China accounted for 17.7 per cent of the global linear TV reach of the 2022 World Cup, with 510 million viewers, while India contributed 2.9 per cent with 84 million. Together, they accounted for nearly half of all hours of the Qatar World Cup viewed on digital and social platforms.

Though neither China or India has a team in the tournament, both countries have large and engaged football audiences. China has not qualified for this edition and India has never played at a World Cup.

Workers prepare the foundation for installing the pitch at Houston Stadium on 13 May 2026 (Getty)

The gap between what Fifa wants and what broadcasters are willing to pay comes down to a number of factors.

Most matches in North America will kick off in the middle of the night in China and India, significantly reducing their commercial value. In India, every major broadcaster is saving money to bid for rights to show the next Indian Premier League and the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup tournaments, both of which are more commercially attractive for the platforms.

If a deal is not struck, many Chinese sponsors of the World Cup will face trouble. Dairy brand Mengniu and TV maker Hisense are together pouring a reported $500m into the event. In the absence of a broadcast deal in their country, their entire marketing campaigns around the event will be undermined.

Fifa’s deal with TikTok will allow users to find streamed clips and short-form content, but that won’t replace the advertising revenue a mainstream broadcast deal generates.

Fifa declined to comment on the specifics of the issue, saying in a statement that "discussions in China and India regarding the sale of media rights for the Fifa World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage”.